Become a Digital Nomad in Alicante

Eat your heart out, Barcelona and Madrid. Alicante is **the** place for digital nomads. Since the coronavirus crisis, automation seems to have increased, making working from home (and soon on the road again) even easier! Alicante offers many flexible workspaces, solid internet, and a great vibe.

You don’t have to move to Thailand straight away to become a digital nomad. Alicante offers many great options to put yourself among nice “colleagues” whenever it suits you and work on your website or online products. And in the evenings and on weekends you can float on your air mattress and enjoy a delicious paella. Reasonably close to home, paying in euros, and still enjoying palm trees, sun, and beach.

Soy yo! From my workspace. Not from a hammock, sadly!

Preparation: How do you become a digital nomad?

A **laptop** and a good **café con leche** won’t cut it on their own.

To be a good digital nomad you really do need to set off well prepared. And there are always people who’ve already invented the wheel for you so you don’t waste unnecessary time.

I’m obviously not planning to leave Alicante. But I learned **a lot** from the course designed by **Suzanne van Duijn** of “Vrije meid,” especially for anyone who wants to work location-independently. In her course you’ll learn which professions fit, how to scale up, what to look out for before planning a trip, and much more. And with the **Digital Nomad E-course** you’ll be under the palm trees in no time!

The course consists partly of text and partly of videos you can get through quickly. There’s currently a promo where the course costs €99 instead of €198! You also receive **her book** for even more inspiration, tips, and beautiful photos. After that you really won’t want to sit between four walls in Hengelo anymore!

https://youtu.be/oD7pUQxpqys

Which steps do I need to take in Alicante?

To emigrate to Spain, you must have an **NIE number**. You also need this number if, for example, you want to buy a car or rent a home long-term. You can apply for it at the Spanish town hall here. You only need to apply for this number if you stay in Spain for longer than 3 months. The exact conditions and options for applying for this personal identification number are **listed on this consulate website**.

You can rent a place via the sites I described **in my previous blog**.

But there are also super fun and hip campsites on the Costa Blanca — not just for gray hair! More on that soon. Camper spots are popping up like mushrooms. Affordable, near the sea, and close to your potential workplace!

What (online) work can I do in Spain?

A fairly new way to earn money passively is **affiliate marketing**. This means you promote a product and then direct the customer to the respective website. You can organize and manage this from any kitchen table — or a sunny terrace in Alicante! And it can be about any product or topic. There’s always something you know and could advise others on.

I myself followed the course **From Blog to Business by Mick Zadelhof**. Super fun and very educational. Mick even posted a review video from me. There are also a number of free, very complete ebooks — including **Online Geld Verdienen 2021**. Take advantage!

I also regularly meet people in Alicante who work from home as web designers or programmers.

For people who prefer working with others in a team — or at least want an office vibe around them during the day — I’ll soon write an article about co-working in Alicante. There are more and more to be found. And from €25 per half-day, you’ll share a hip office with a Spanish colleague and tasty café con leches. How fun is that?!

Nomad with a family in Alicante

If you’d like more freedom and to stay in Alicante with your family, there are several large companies in and around the city center that regularly look for (temporary) employees — we’re really talking about expats then.

For example, **EUIPO** employs all EU nationalities, and flexible hours are often possible. In fashion and footwear there are also international jobs, for example at **Inditex**, which is based in Elche just outside Alicante. There are several international schools in the Alicante region, where English is often the language of instruction.

I’m a nomad and I’m packing…

• Before you can actually take the step to move abroad, it’s handy to have a savings buffer. **Brand New Day** has already thought about this and came up with a good way to set aside money for a world adventure.
• Traveling with small children? A **Samsonite ride-on suitcase** is truly a revelation. Ours lasted until the kids were almost braking with their knees. Ideal so you don’t have to carry them the whole time at the airport. When you arrive in Alicante you sometimes have quite a walk to baggage claim. **This suitcase** was always a lifesaver for me!
• Working only on a phone isn’t really convenient. A good laptop is a must. I worked with an **Asus laptop** for several years and happily clocked long hours on it, edited films and photos, and took it everywhere despite the big screen. A real recommendation if you plan to go to Spain as a nomad.
• A **well-prepared trip** helps of course. Since 2016, Suzanne van Duijn has worked as a Digital Nomad and in **her book “Work Hard, Travel Harder”** she describes all the preparation steps for life as a digital nomad, plus tips for when you’re already abroad. Super handy. The paper book costs **via Bol.com** €20 and the digital version costs €12.99.

Soon — as an addition to this blog — an overview of all the cool, hip workspaces in and around Alicante. I’m very curious whether there are Digital Nomads among you who’ve read this blog and whether there are people planning to choose Alicante as their destination!

Leave a comment below: does a life as a digital nomad appeal to you, and what else would you like to know about Alicante?